Goods vehicles

ABSTRACT

The base of a load-carrying system supports a horizontal conveyor having an endless member with side-by-side runs, and having wheeled load receptacles running on the base, and the sides of the receptacles adjacent the endless member directly overlie the latter, so that substantially the whole load space is utilized in a direction transverse to the runs.

United States Patent 91 Weston 14 1 *Apr. 3, 1973 541 GOODS VEHICLES[58] Field 61 search ..214/16 .1c 16.1 cA 5 1 [75] Inventor: William A.Weston, Crawford, En- 214/83'36;198/181 ff m H; V [56] References Cited[73] Assignee: N.V. Foco, Nederland, Bedum,

Netherlands UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,010,410 11/1961 Daniels ..l98/181 X1 Name l g gg 3,122,235 2/1964 Meekeretal. ..19s/1s1 Pa em F e 1 13,204,797 9/1965 Chandler ..214/51s a been dlsclalmed- 3,559,831 2/1971Weston ..214/s16 [22] Filed: Oct. 12, 1970 Primary Examiner-Albert J.Makay PP N04 79,802 Attorney-Young 82 Thompson [30] Foreign ApplicationPriority Data [57] ABSTRACT Apr. 27, 1967 Great Britain ..19,366/67 Ibase i f f a fg g May26, 1967 Great Britain ..24,498/67 685 mem r sideruns, and havlng wheeled load receptacles ov. 3. 1967 Great Bntam..50,061/67 1 Mar 27 1968 Great Britain 14 831/68 running on the base,and the sldes of the receptac es v adjacent the endless member d1rectlyoverlie the v latter, so that substantially the whole load space isutil- U.S. Cl ..214/518 ized in a direction transverse to the 12 Claims,27 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAFR 3 1975 SHEET UlUF 15' Immllor W/LL/RM 4.WESTON r J4 jib-7 A tlorneys PATENTEUAPM ms 3 724698 sum UEUFWS I Invenlor W/LL [0/14 A WES ro/v Allorneys PATENTEMPRB ma 3,724,698 SHEET03UF 15 Inventor W/LL/AM ,4. WEsTo/v ByWf-JW A llomeys PATENTEDAPRB 197aSHEET DQUF 1s lnvenlor WILL IHM 14. h/ssro/v By Y'JM;

A tlorneys PATENTEDAPRZB I975 3.724598 sum near 15 Invenlor W/LL/AM A21/1 5570 A llorneyfi I PATENTEU I975 SHEET 08F 15 I fa 1 1 Inventor W/ LMM A. W55 mm B, 2 ,1 raw A tlorneys PATENTEDAPR3 191s 3,724,698

- SHEET OSOF 15 Inventor M1. L MM A. W55 704 By rJWv- AttorneysPATENTEDAPR 3 I973 SHEET lUUF 15 9 2% w w w 5 0 7 w TIE M IE my A V P Ea i 6 U H w T), 0 0 ,Mvfl A M x A I rwenlor W/LA /AM A Warm Bykhv;Attorneys PATENIEDAPRQ ma SHEET llUF 15 Il'fllllf W L A 09/1414 Wave "7A Honeys .coons VEHICLES This invention relates to goods vehicles. As'the invention relates, especially but not exclusively, to road vehicles,such as to lorries and vans, it will be assumed for convenience ofdescription that the vehicle is a van.

According to the present invention I.provide a van having on itsload-carrying platform an endless conveyor extending fore-and-aft andhaving side-by-side runs, and having attached to its endless member aseries of wheeled carriers or a series of devices to each of which awheeled container may be connected.

Preferably, the van has a tail gate which can be raised and loweredbodily so as to act as a lift.

Preferably also, the conveyor is position adjustable bodily in thefore-and-aft direction relative to the platform of the van.

Further, according to the present invention I provide in or for a van agate lift comprising a gate, a vertically arrangedpiston-andcylinderunit adapted to raise and lower the gate through a rope-and-pulley orthe like system, a telescopic ground-engageable support, the cylinder ofsaid unit being mounted in the upper tubular part of a telescopic memberso as to be slidable between an upper limit position, and a lower limitposition in which it urges the other part of the tubular member into aground-engaging position, and means for releasably locking the piston ofthe unit against movement and said other part of the telescopic memberin its ground engaging position.

Said support may be another and similar piston-andcylinder unit, or maybe a telescopic leg which is pivotal between a lowered ground-engagingposition and a raised out-of-use position in which it extends across andbelow the gate and supports the latter or acts as a safety catchtherefor.

Preferably, each container has two fixedly mounted front wheels and oneor more castor-type rear wheels, and each carrier has means thereon, forexample rol- Iers, for engaging the container and raising its front endso that its front wheels lie clear of the platform of the van, and thecontainer is supported, when on the conveyor, by front castor-typewheels-on the carrier and by the rear caster-type wheel or wheels on thecontainer. Still further, according to the present invention I provide acontainer having a door and means for the purpose aforesaid, said meanscomprising a device for holding the door closed and displaceable so asto permit opening of the door and carrying a connector for one end of asealing strip, and a releasable fastener for the other end of thesealing strip, said device with its connector and said fastener being soarranged on the container that, when they are connected by a sealingstrip, the latter extends across the free end of the door and saiddevice being displaceable only in a direction away from said fastener topermit opening of the door, and the fastener being releasable only frominside the container, so that the door cannot be opened without thesealing strip beingbroken.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is asectional side view of a van according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view corresponding to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspectiveview of part of the van of FIG.

10 larger scale showing details of a collapsible portion of the sidewalls of the track shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side view of a container, to a larger scale andshowing a braking device therefor;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the floor of a container, to a larger Scale;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a container, with the roof removed;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a roof of a container;

FIG. 12 is a side view of a rear portion of the conveyor shown in FIG.3, to a larger scale, and showing two adjacent containers;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary plan view corresponding to FIG. 12 and showingpart of a support for a container;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view corresponding to FIG.

12 and showing a modification;

FIG. 15 is a view corresponding to FIG. 14, to a larger scale, andshowing a further modification;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary end view corresponding to FIG. 12 and showing amounting for the beam of the conveyor;

' FIG. 17 is a fragmentary side view corresponding to FIG. 3, to alarger scale, and partly in section, and showing the gate lift in moredetail;

FIG. 18 is an end view corresponding to FIG. 17,

with some parts omitted for clarity, and showing a modification of thegate lift;

FIGS. 19 to 22 are detail views showing means for connecting a containerto the conveyor; FIGS. 23 to 26 are detail views showing means forlatching and sealing the doors of a container, so that unauthorized oraccidental opening of the doors can be easily detected; and

FIG. 27 is a side view of a carrier showing a modification.

motors 4 powered by an electrical pump (not shown) drive the conveyor 2and the latter carries a plurality of containers 5 (not shown in FIG. 3)mounted on castortype wheels 6.

The van 1 hasagatelift7atoneside andatailgate8 at the rear. The floor 9of the gate lift 7 is formed by a portion 10 of the platform 3 and ahinged portion 10A. The floor 9 is movable from a raised position, asshown in FIG. 3, in which it is flush with the platform 3, and a loweredposition in which it is substantially at ground level.

The containers 5 are connected to the conveyor 2 through carriers 11 onthe conveyor chain and mounted on castor-type wheels 12 which run on theplatform 3.

The general principle of operation of the van is as follows. In order toload the'v'an with containers 5 the lift 7 is moved to its loweredposition and a container is pushed on to the floor 10, A. The lift 7 isthen raised until the floor 10, 10A is flush with the platform 3 and thecontainer is pushed on to and secured to a carrier 1 1. The conveyor 2is then operated until the next carrier 11 is opposite the gate lift 7and the preceding carrier 11 is moved along the van. This procedure iscarried out with each container until the van is fully loaded, as shownin FIGS. 1 and 2.

Unloading is efiected in the reverse manner to that above described.

It will be understood that there must be space available at the frontand rear of the van in order that the containers 5 may swing around theends of the conveyor 2. As such space is valuable in goods vehicles, theconveyor is slidably mounted on the platform 3 so that, during loadingand unloading and with the tail gate 8 open, the conveyor 2 is movedrearwardly of the van 1. Thus the containers swing clear of the frontwall of the van 1 as they swing around the front end of the conveyor 2and out of the open tail gate 8 as they swing around the rear end of theconveyor 2. When the carriers 11 approach the rear end of the conveyor 2a flanged wheel 13 engages a substantially U-shaped rail 14 whichsupports the carrier 11 and associated container 5 when the wheels 6 and12 run clear of the rear of the platform 3. Alternatively oradditionally the tail gate 8 may be hinged downwardly so as to form anextension of the platform 3 on which the wheels 12 and 6 may run. Whenloading or unloading is completed the conveyor is moved forward to theposition shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The conveyor 2 includes a hollow beam 15 extending fore and aft of thevan 1 and slidably guided between bearing guide members 16 fixed to theplatform 3. The hydraulic motors 4 are secured to opposite ends of thebeam 15 and are drivingly connected to sprocket wheels 17 around whichpasses an endless chain 18. A hydraulic piston-and-cylinder unit 19 hasits cylinder 19A connected to the platform 3 by lugs 20 and its pistonrod 198 connected to the beam 15. Thus actuation of the unit 19 by fluidfrom the electrical pump which drives the motors 4 moves the conveyor 2bodily, either rearwardly or forwardly, as described above.

The carriers 11, details of which are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, arepivotally connected to the chain 18 by extended link pins (not shown)and each carrier 11 has a pair of front or inner castor wheels 12A and apair of rear or outer rollers 21 running in outer tracks 22 which extendalong each side of the conveyor 2 but not around the ends. Each carrier11 also has a rear wheel 1213 which is fixed against swivelling andwhich runs on the base of the track 22 at least when the carriers areunloaded. Alternatively, other tracks or strips may be provided for thewheels 12B. Adjacent its rear or outer end, the carrier 1 1 supports ontop thereof a pair of rollers 23.

Each container 5 has a pair of rear castor wheels 6A and a pair of frontwheels 6B which are fixed against swivelling. The container also has atopposite sides runners 24 extending fore-and-aft and each having aflange 25, and supports 26 for the rollers 21 present flanges 27.

In use, when a container 5 is to be loaded, it is pushed in thedirection of the arrow A, FIG. 4, so that the runners 24 pass along eachside of the carrier ll,

and each flange 25 passes between the carrier 11 and a flange 27. Thefloor of the container rides on the rollers 23, so that the container 5is raised at the front, and its front wheels 6B are lifted clear of theplatform 3. By the time the container 5 has reached its loaded position,as shown in FIG. 4, the flanges 25 have abutted the carrier 11 andpivoted it upwards slightly about its connection to the conveyor chain18. Also, when the container 5 reaches the position shown in FIG. 4,pins 28 on the carrier 11 are spring-urged through aligned holes in theflanges 25 and 27, and a slotted guide member 29 on the container 5 hasfully engaged a post 30 on the carrier 11. The member 29 and the post 30are shown in plan view to a larger scale in FIG. 6, and these assist inguiding the container 5 into position. The container 5 is thus heldagainst sidewise movement relative to the carrier 11 by the abuttingflanges 25, 27 and the pin 30 engaging in the member 29, and is heldagainst movement beyond the position shown and against withdrawal by thepins 28. In the loaded position shown in FIG. 4, the container is thussupported on the castor wheels 12A and 12B of the carrier 11 and on itsown castor wheels 6A, which run on strips 31 on the platform 3, when theconveyor is in operation.

A manually operable lever system generally indicated at 32 is providedfor each carrier 11 for withdrawing the pins 28 from the holes in theflanges 25 and 27, so that the container 5 may be withdrawn forunloading. Alternatively, the lever system may be operable to effectinsertion of the pins 28, and the pins 28 withdraw under spring pressurewhen the lever system is again operated.

The side walls of the track 22 project above the platform 3 andprovision is made to facilitate movement of the wheels 6B over the track22, as will now be described with reference to FIG. 7. Opposite the gatelift 7, the walls of the track 22 have opposed portions 33, 34 slightlylonger than the distance between the wheels 6B and which act as gateswhich can be swung downwards to allow the wheels 68 to pass over thetrack. Thus the track wall portions of gates 33, 34 swing vertically.The gate 33 is mounted at its lower end on a pivot 35 and is attached toa gear segment 36 which meshes with a gear wheel 37 which in turn mesheswith a gear wheel 38. The latter meshes with a gear segment 39 to whichthe gate 34 is attached and the gate 34 is mounted at its lower end on apivot 40. Thus, when the container 5 is being pushed to its loadedposition, the wheels 6B push down the gate 33. The segment 36 is thusrotated in the direction of the arrow B causing the gear wheels 37, 38to rotate, and the segment 39 to rotate so that the gate 34 swings downin the direction of the arrow C. Springs, not shown, are provided toreturn the gates 33, 34 to the upstanding position as soon as the wheels68 have passed the track 22. During withdrawal of the container 5, asimilar action takes place when the wheels 6A push down the gate 34.FIG. 7 is purely schematic and only for the purpose of illustrating thegearing arrangement.

FIG. 8 illustrates a braking device for the container which will now bedescribed. The braking device consists of a brake block 41 on a lever 42which is pivotally mounted on the container at 43 and is engageable witha wheel 6B. The shaft 44 of the wheel 6B is mounted in verticallyelongated slots 45 in a bracket 46 for the wheel 68. When the lever 42is swung down to the operative position, shown in broken lines in FIG.8, the

block 41 engages the wheel 68 and the front end of the container risesrelative to the wheel 68, and the lever 42 is secured in position in anyconvenient manner, for example, by a pawl and ratchet device. The floorof the container 5 when the brake is applied, is horizontal, and whenthe brake is released is slightly inclined downwardly and forwardly.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, l and II, the floor 47 of the container hasadjacent each corner a right-angled socket 48 in each of which an endportion of an upright angle member 48A is inserted. The angle members48A are interconnected at their lower ends by further angle members 4813and the latter are secured to the floor, for example, by bolts. The roofof the container is connected to the upright angle members in a similarmanner (FIG. 1 l The front and rear panels 48C, 48D, and one side panel48E of the container 5 fit into slots 48F provided at two cornersbetween the upright angle members 48A and outer upright angle members486 extending parallel thereto. At the other two comers, the side panels48C, 48D are located in slots 48H between the upright angle members 48Aand side plates 48K, and the leaves 48L of hinges of doors 48M whichform the other side wall of the container are also located in said slots48H. The sockets 48 at one side of the floor 47 are preferably spaced,as shown in FIG. 9, further from the side edge of the floor than are thesockets 48 at the other side spacedfrom that side edge.

The gearing for interconnecting the gates 33, 34, may be replaced by alever system, and stops may be provided for limiting movement in eachdirection.

Instead of two castor wheels 6A, the container may have only one suchwheel midway between its sides.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 12 to 16.

FIG. 12 shows in side view a rear portion of the conveyor 2 and twoadjacent containers 5 and 5A, the conveyor 2 being in its operativeposition, and the container 5 being the reannost container. In thisposition of the conveyor 2, when the van has a tail gate which hingesdownwards to form an extension of the platform 3, the carriers 11 rideon the tail gate in their rearmost position. In the embodiment showninFIG. 12, provision is made for supporting the containers in theirrearmost position when there is no such tail gate 'or a short tail gate,as will now be described. The substantially U- shaped rail 14 locatedabove the level of the containers extends around the rear end of theconveyor 2 and cooperates with a flanged wheel 13 mounted either onupstanding extensions 49 of each carrier 11 (FIG. '3) or on the roof ofeach container (FIGS. 12 and 14). Thus, as each container 5 or carrier 1l approaches the end of the conveyor 2 its wheel 13 engages and runs onthe rail 14, so that the container is thus suspended when there is notail gate. The carrier 11 is supported against downward pivoting by awheel 50 on the carrier 11, the wheel 5.0 having an upright rotary axisand engaging a rail 51 on the conveyor frame (FIG. 13).

In this way, the van may have a relatively inexpensive rear door ordoors, such as side hinged doors, a top hinged door, a door of the upand over type or a roller type door.

The rail .14 may have a pin or pins 14A runn ing in a channel 14B on theroof of the van.

, FIG. 14 shows in fi'agrnentary end view a modification of the FIG. 12embodiment, in which the rail 14 and the flanged wheel 13 are replacedrespectively by a track having flanges 52, 53 and a roller 54. In thiscase, a rearmost part 52A of the outer flange 52 (FIG. 15) is movableinwards relative to a separate part 53A of the flange 53 so as to abutthe flange 53A and provide a rear gap in the flange 52 through which theroller 54 may pass and thus allow the containers to be unloaded at therear, if desired. As shown in FIG. 15, the part 52A is carried by aslide 55 which is urged by a spring 56 to a position in which the part52A is continuous with the flange 52, and a clamp 57 on the part 53A isprovided for locking the slide 55 in its extended and retractedposition. The track 52, 53 may extend fully around the conveyor, and, inthis case, a similar arrangement to that described with reference toFIG. 15 is provided at one side for side loading and unloading.

In the case that loading and unloading has to take place at the rear ofthe van, a lever system 32 (FIG. 4) is provided also at the rear of thevan.

When a device is provided for taking-up slack or wear in the conveyorchain, said device is so arranged that the rear sprocket for theconveyor chain is not moved relative to the rail 14 or the track 52, 53.

The flange 53 of the track 52, 53 is not essential and may be omitted.

Extra brackets and an extra sliding piece on which the conveyor frame orboom runs may be provided at the rear. Each bracket may be in the formof a channel member as shown at 16A in FIG. 16.

As already described the van has a gate lift 7 at one side, the gate orfloor 9 of the lift being formed by a portion 10 of the load-carryingplatform 3 of the van and being carried by telescopic members 58 and 59so that it may be guided between a raised position in which it isflush-with the van platform, and a lowered position in which it issubstantially at ground level.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 17, raising and lowering of the gate 9 isefiected by a double-acting hydraulic piston-and-cylinder unit 60through a rope-and-pulley system 6i. The cylinder 62 of said unit 60 ismounted in the upper tubular part 63 of the telescopic member 58 so asto be slidable between an upper limit position in which it abuts theupper end of said tubular part, and a lower limit position in which itexpands the telescopic member so that its other part 64 engages theground. The rope-and-pulley system 61 has a pulley 65 on the piston rod66 of the unit 66 (the piston on the rod not being shown), and two ropes67, 68 pass from an anchorage 69 above the unit down and around saidpulley 65. The ropes then pass up and around a second pulley 70 and therope 67 passes downwards and is anchored to one end of the gate 9. Theother rope 63 passes over a third pulley 71 spaced from the secondpulley 70, and the rope 66 extends downwards from the third pulley 71and is anchored to the other end of the gate 9. A first pin 72 holds thepiston rod 66 of the unit 61 against movement, and a second pin 73 holdsthe parts of the telescopic member 56 against expansion. The telescopicmember 59 has a telescopic leg 74 which is pivotally connected at oneend to the van platform 3 and it extends below and across the gate 9 andis held in position by a third pin 75. The leg 74 in this positionsupports the gate 9 or acts as a safety catch therefor. By withdrawingthe third pin 75, the leg 74 can be pivoted into a vertical position,and the leg 74 can be expanded into engagement with the ground uponwithdrawal of a fourth pin 76 which locks the upper and lower telescopicparts of the leg together in their contracted position.

As above described, the gate is in its raised out-ofuse or road travelposition, and the operation of lowering the gate will now be described.

The telescopic leg 74 is swung down to its vertical position. The unit60 with the second pin 73 removed, is then operated so that the cylinder62 moves downwards because the piston is held against movement by thepin 72 restraining the piston rod 66, and pushes the lower part 64 ofthe telescopic member 58 into contact with the ground and raises thechassis of the van slightly. The said fourth pin 76 is withdrawn, sothat the lower part of the telescopic leg 74 lowers under gravity, or bybeing manually pulled, into engagement with the ground. The fourth pin76 is then re-inserted to hold the telescopic leg 74 so expanded. Thesecond pin 73 is then re-inserted to hold the lower part 64 of thetelescopic member 58 in engagement with the ground, after, if necessary,further adjustment of the unit. The latter is then operated so that thecylinder 62 moves to its upper limit position. The first pin 72 is thenremoved to release the piston rod 66, and the unit 60 is again operatedso that the piston rod 66 moves upwards carrying the first pulley 65with it so that the gate 9 then moves down to its lowered position atground level. The gate 9 can be raised by reversing the stroke of thepiston of the unit.

When the loading or unloading operation is finished, the gate 9 isreturned to its raised position, and the first pin 72 is replaced tohold the piston against movement. The unit 60 is then operated so thatthe cylinder 62 abuts the lower part 64 of the telescopic member 58 andso that the second pin 73 can be withdrawn. After withdrawal of thesecond pin 73, the unit 60 is then operated so that the load is takenfrom the telescopic leg 74 and the fourth pin 76 is removed, the lowerpart of the leg 74 is pushed in manually, the pin 76 replaced, and theleg is then swung up into position below the gate. The unit 60 is thenoperated so that the cylinder 62 moves to its upper limit position, andthe lower part 64 of the telescopic member 58 is pushed manually intoits collapsed position and the second pin 73 is then reinserted.

The gate may have a hinged extension 10A which has a hinged flap 77(FIG. 18) which forms a ramp when the gate is in its lowered position.

The wheels of the containers or carriers 11 may be guided between innerand outer rails on the van platfonn 3, and the said flap 77 in theout-of-use position of the gate acts as part of the outer rail. That isto say, the extension of the gate A is swung upwards to a verticalposition and the flap 77 is swung inwards and downwards against theextension 10A. The gate 9 carries a lower plate 78 which projects beyondthe outer edge of the gate 9 and supports the extension 10A in thein-use position.

In a modification the carriers 11 are mounted on the conveyor 2 asfollows. Referring to FIGS. 19 to 22, the conveyor chain 18 has a seriesof pairs of upper and lower plates 79, each pair being connected to alink of the chain 18 and projecting laterally and outwardly therefrom.The plates 79 carry between them a rotatably adjustable shaft 80extending parallel to the chain and carrying an eccentric cam 81 at eachend of the plates 79. The plates 79, at their outermost edges carry acentral triangular projection 82, and also carry an upright guide pin83. The edge of a carrier 11 opposite and adjacent the chain, in use,has a V-shaped notch 84 corresponding to said triangular projection 82and on opposite sides of the notch 84 carries pivoted spring-loadedlatches 85 for engaging said cams 81. The carrier 11 also has aguide-way 86 in line with the notch 84 and at right-angles to the edgehaving the notch.

In use, each carrier 11 is connected to the conveyor chain 18 by pushingit towards the chain so that the guide pin 83 is engaged by theguide-way $36 and the carrier 11 is so guided that the triangularprojection 82 on the plates 79 and the notch 84 on the carrier 11engage, and the latches 85 engage the cams 81. The cams 81 are thenrotated by a lever 87 (FIG. 22) to hold the latches 25 more firmly inposition. The latches 85 engage the cams 81 automatically by moving upramps 88 and then dropping 011 these on to the earns 81. Unloading isefi'ected in the reverse manner, the latches 85 first being lifted clearof the cams 81.

Each container 5 is provided with means for attaching a sealing strip sothat unauthorized or accidental opening of the container may be easilydetected. Referring to FIGS. 23 to 26 the container 5 has two oppositelyopening hinged doors 89,90, and means for attaching a sealing strip 91(FIG. 24). The said means consists of a device 92 for holding the doorsclosed, and a releasable fastener 93. The device 92 consists of an anglemember which has one arm 94 secured to the top wall of the container,and its other arm 95 angled and abutting said top wall and the frontfaces of the doors 89, so as to hold them closed, and connected to thearm 94 by a hinge 96. The arm has on its front face an upwardly directedhook 97. The fastener 93 consists of a pin 98 projecting from the frontface of the door 90, and a latch which is engaged with the pin 98 when asealing strip 91 is applied, as shown in FIG. 1. The latch consists ofan arm 99 secured at one end to a shaft 100 which is pivotally mountedand axially slidable in the door 90 and projects therethrough to bothsides. In the position shown, the shaft 100 is held against turning, andagainst sufficient axial movement for the arm 99 to move clear of thepin 98, the arm 99 having a hole 101 in which the pin 98 engages. Thisis efiected by a slide member 102 having a hole 103 through which thepin 100 passes, the hole 103 being sufficiently large to allow themember 102 to drop so that a marginal portion of the member 102 abovethe hole 103 engages in a slot 104 in the pin 100, the slot 104 having aflat bottom. The slide member 102 is guided between the back face of thedoor 90 and a bracket 105 secured to the door 90. Prior to the fastener93 having been adjusted to the position shown, the paper sealing strip91, which has a hole at each end, is attached to the hook 97 and the pin98, and it will be seen that the doors 89, 90 cannot be opened withoutbreaking the sealing strip 9l,so that unauthorized or accidental openingof the doors can be easily detected.

1. A load-carrying system comprising a load-carrying base and an endlessconveyor on said base, said conveyor comprising an endless member havingside-by-side runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, meansconnecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulationtherewith, and wheel means that rollably support on said base the sidesof said receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sidesthat are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacentportions of said endless member and substantially the whole load spacebeing utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, said meansconnecting said receptacles to said endless member comprising wheeldevices on which detachably rest the portions of the receptacles thatare closest to the endless member, said wheel devices bearing a portionof the weight of the receptacles and rolling on said base, eachreceptacle having front wheels and at least one rear wheel, said atleast one rear wheel running on the base, and the front of thereceptacle being raised by means on said wheel devices so that the frontwheels lie clear of the base.
 2. A system as claimed in claim 1, inwhich each of said devices comprises a carrier having castor wheelsrunning on said base and means on its upper face for engaging the baseof the receptacle and raising its front end so that the front wheels ofthe receptacle lie clear of said base.
 3. A system as claimed in claim1, in which each of said devices comprises a carrier having castorwheels running on the base, and means on its upper face for engaging andtilting the base of a wheeled receptacle.
 4. A system as claimed inclaim 2, in which means is provided for locking each receptacle to itscarrier and said means comprises runners, one at each side of the baseof the receptacle, and flanges, one on each runner, which pass below thecarrier, and firmly abut the latter when the base of the receptacle israised by said base-engaging means.
 5. A load-carrying system comprisinga load-carrying base and an endless conveyor on said base, said conveyorcomprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a plurality ofwheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to saidendless member for circulation thereof, wheel means that rollablysupport on said base the sides of said receptacles that are remote fromsaid endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless memberdirectly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member andsubstantially the whole load space being utilized in a directiontransverse to said runs, said base comprising a vehicle platform,including a gate lift comprising a gate, a vertically arrangedpiston-and-cylinder unit for raising and lowering the gate through arope-and-pulley system, a telescopic ground-engageable support, thecylinder of said unit being mounted in the upper tubular part of atelescopic member and being slidable between an upper limit position anda lower limit position in which it urges the other part of the tubularmember into a ground-engaging position, and means for releasably lockingthe piston of the unit against movement and said other part of thetelescopic member in its ground-engaging position.
 6. A system asclaimed in claim 5, in which said support is a telescopic leg which ispivotal between a lowered ground-engaging position and a raisedout-of-use position in which it extends across and below the gate andsupports the latter or acts as a safety Catch therefor.
 7. Aload-carrying system comprising a vehicle having a load-carrying base,an endless conveyor on said base extending fore-and-aft of the base,said conveyor comprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, apair of head wheels about which said endless member is trained at theends of said runs, a plurality of wheeled load receptacles, meansconnecting said load receptacles to said endless member for circulationtherewith, wheel means that rollably support on said base the sides ofsaid receptacles that are remote from said endless member, the sidesthat are adjacent said endless member directly overlying adjacentportions of said endless member and substantially the whole load spacebeing utilized in a direction transverse to said runs, and means forbodily adjusting said head wheels together as a unit in a horizontaldirection lengthwise of said runs relative to said base thereby bodilyto adjust said endless member in the direction of its runs, said systemfurther including a gate lift comprising a gate, a vertically arrangedpiston-and-cylinder unit for raising and lowering the gate through arope-and-pulley system, a telescopic ground-engageable support, thecylinder of said unit being mounted in the upper tubular part of atelescopic member and being slidable between an upper limit position,and a lower limit position in which it urges the other part of thetubular member into a ground-engaging position, and means for releasablylocking the piston of the unit against movement and said other part ofthe telescopic member in its ground-engaging position.
 8. A system asclaimed in claim 7, in which said support is a telescopic leg which ispivotal between a lowered ground-engaging position and a raisedout-of-use position in which it extends across and below the gate andsupports the latter or acts as a safety catch therefor.
 9. Aload-carrying system comprising a vehicle having a load-carryingplatform, an endless conveyor on said platform extending fore-and-aft ofthe platform, said conveyor comprising an endless member havingside-by-side runs, a pair of head wheels about which said endless memberis trained at the ends of said runs, a plurality of wheeled loadreceptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to said endlessmember for circulation therewith, wheel means that rollably support onsaid platform the sides of said receptacles that are remote from saidendless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless member directlyoverlying adjacent portions of said endless member and substantially thewhole load space being utilized in a direction transverse to said runs,means for bodily adjusting said head wheels together as a unit in ahorizontal direction lengthwise of said runs relative to said platformthereby bodily to adjust said endless member in the direction of itsruns, a gate lift provided at one side of the platform comprising a gateforming part of said platform, and means movable with the conveyorprovided for supporting the receptacles when they project beyond therear of the platform when the conveyor is in its operative position. 10.A load-carrying system as claimed in claim 1, in which said base is afloor of a vehicle park, and said receptacles are for receivingvehicles.
 11. A load-carrying system as claimed in claim 1, in whichsaid base is a vehicle platform, the conveyor extends fore-and-aft ofsaid platform, and the conveyor is bodily adjustable horizontally in thefore-and-aft direction relative to said platform for movement to aposition which is closer to the front end of the platform during travelof the vehicles, and to a position which is further from said end whenthe conveyor is in operation.
 12. A load-carrying system comprising aload-carrying base and an endless conveyor on said base, said conveyorcomprising an endless member having side-by-side runs, a plurality ofwheeled load receptacles, means connecting said load receptacles to saidendless member for circulation therewIth, wheel means that rollablysupport on said base the sides of said receptacles that are remote fromsaid endless member, the sides that are adjacent said endless memberdirectly overlying adjacent portions of said endless member andsubstantially the whole load space being utilized in a directiontransverse to said runs, each of said receptacles having a door andmeans for the purpose of attaching a sealing strip so that unauthorizedor accidental opening thereof may be easily detected, said meanscomprising a device for holding the door closed and displaceable so asto permit opening of the door and carrying a connector for one end of asealing strip, and a releasable fastener for the other end of thesealing strip, said device with its connector and said fastener being soarranged on the receptacle that, when they are connected by a sealingstrip, the latter extends across the free end of the door, and saiddevice being displaceable only in a direction away from said fastener topermit opening of the door, and the fastener being releasable only frominside the receptacle, so that the door cannot be opened without thesealing strip being broken.